


Judgement of Paris

by Ealasaid, writeyourownstory



Series: Hallmark Channel [6]
Category: 1917 (Movie 2019)
Genre: Chance Meetings, M/M, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, One Night Stands, Paris (City), Richfield, Sex, Vintner AU, Wine, Winemaker AU, chatfic, that become relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:49:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27613732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ealasaid/pseuds/Ealasaid, https://archiveofourown.org/users/writeyourownstory/pseuds/writeyourownstory
Summary: Rewrite of the Hallmark move "Paris, Wine, and Romance"!In which Will is an up-and-coming vintner from California, representing his fledgling winery at a big Paris expo, and Ben is the random clearly-not-a-Frenchman he met in a restaurant.  They have a great evening, an even better night, and in the morning . . . they discover who they truly are.
Relationships: Benjamin Richards/William Schofield, Joseph Blake & Tom Blake & William Schofield, Lieutenant Richards/William Schofield
Series: Hallmark Channel [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1988683
Kudos: 2





	Judgement of Paris

**Author's Note:**

> originally brainstormed/chatwritten on September 13, 2020!

**Lt. Richards is bae:** 😩  
I really want Ben/Joe that's not angsty as shit

 **butler is boo:** Honestly that was the most interesting one ok today  
The last one on was just BLEH

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** oh?  
what was the last one?

 **butler is boo:** Ok so a chick is a final contestant on a dating show and has to face her high school sweetheart when she’s chosen to go on a date with the bachelor—like, she’s hanging with the douchey bachelor and when they go to her hometown for a videoed date, she runs into her hs sweetheart  
It was sorta dumb

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** oh ew

 **butler is boo:** Yep

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** the ones that are so transparently about romance are just  
blech

 **butler is boo:** Yep

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** 🤔  
we could go full angst

 **butler is boo:** The one coming up is about a woman who owns a vineyard going to Paris for some kind of wine competition where she meets a handsome Brit

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** oooooooooooo

 **butler is boo:** Ooooooo

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** (let's not go full angst)

 **butler is boo:** 😂

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** (it would have been an off-the-rails A/B/O with strong themes of sexual servitude due to A/B/O social dynamics)  
(so like, dystopian and possibly still army)

 **butler is boo:** (Oh wow 😳😂)

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** SO LET'S DO THE ONE ABOUT THE WOMAN GOING TO FRANCE AND MEETING A HANDSOME BRIT

 **butler is boo:** Ooooo YES 😂

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** why going to Paris?  
vineyard, yeah -- hmm  
to make connections?  
who's the Brit?

 **butler is boo:** Well, there’s a competition that can get her wine some hype

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** ohhh

 **butler is boo:** And the brit is a competitor  
And they’re a bit snarky with one another

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** _ooooooo_  
so enemies to lovers?

 **butler is boo:** Yeah that’s the vibe I’m getting so far

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** 👀  
where's the woman from?

 **butler is boo:** Oregon!

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** . . . . there are vineyards in Oregon?  
huh

 **butler is boo:** Apparently! 😂  
Hallmark logic

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** I guess being from California would have been too much competing cachet  
so yeah, fuck that

 **butler is boo:** 😂  
Nothings really happened so far—I just got all that from the preview. Right now her friend is trying to help her get hype by showing her a website ad for the thing in France

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** ahhhhhhhhh  
kk so let's start this off  
(and let's pretend that California isn't constantly on fire)  
(there's ash falling like snow literally right now)

 **butler is boo:** (Omg  )

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** Will is a young winemaker from California  
and by young, I mean like. easily 30, maybe older  
has his own winery at this point

 **butler is boo:** That's still young! 😂

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** has owned his own vineyard and winery for at least three years and they're really starting to take off now  
and by take off, I mean like. they've got some deals with restaurants and so on, but like? they only have local distribution in stores  
and they need to get more rep  
so he's entered some of their wines into this French competition and is flying out and ughhhhhhhhhh he's _not_ looking forward to this, but Joseph & Tom are adamant that he go bc their tasting room is picking up and Tom is more useful there and Joe can cover the rest of the business and Will is, honestly, the one who started all this -- it's gotta be him

 **butler is boo:** Ooo yesss

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** so he flies out and WOOO PARIS and wow Will is like "ok I guess this is nice . . . ish" (he'd rather be home)

 **butler is boo:** Yes that definitely sounds like Will 😂  
(Apparently the rival is like a part of a famous wine making family and he thinks she’s like an American hick or something that can’t possibly make better wine than theirs)

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** (Wow, how original)  
okay, better idea

 **butler is boo:** Yeeeeeeep

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** Will goes to dinner sorta by himself  
I mean, he's not anyone to go with  
just at this little restaurant near the hotel he's staying in, where the wine list is like. Twice the size of the menu

 **butler is boo:** (Gosh I really want some wine 😩😭)

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** (Same bae)  
and he gets three of those little carafes of different wines, like how they serve in Italy (not sure if they serve like that in France but fuck it)  
bc hes bored and he might as well try them  
and you can tell he's a foreigner bc he's coming in WAY too early for dinner, so it's just him  
after ten minutes, another man comes in and he's also not French bc again, way too early for proper dinner  
sits, orders -- waiter brings out a carafe of wine  
Will's not paying too much attention honestly, he's amusing himself by trying the wines in increasingly bizarre combos  
so he's surprised when the guy comes over and is like "Pardon me, but -- you look like you could use some company, if you're desperate enough to combine _those_ wines"  
and Will's like (internally) _oho_

 **butler is boo:** **👏** 😂

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** bc the guy is -- well, the way he said it was v snarky, but he's got a v neat British accent, and he's -- definitely more amused and less insulting  
Like, still an insult, but there's not _that_ much judgement in it

 **butler is boo:** Yep definitely Ben 😂

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** Will looks him over and sees the guy's got only one carafe of wine and is like "well, as you clearly haven't the imagination to try it yourself, by all means"  
the other guy laughs and brings his wine over and they start comparing the four wines  
food comes out and they order more wines to try

 **butler is boo:** Oooooo 👀

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** and they're basically having a great time  
around the two hour mark they get around to introducing themselves  
But like, the conversation isn't serious, they're just comparing observations and talking about wines they have tried before and so on  
and they just have a very similar sense of humor and Will hasn't anything better to do, really  
and apparently Benjamin ("call me Ben") hasn't anything better to do either

 **butler is boo:** Ooooo _what a meet cute_ **👏**

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** 😏  
🤔  
hmmm

 **butler is boo:** Nothings really happening much in the movie, like, they keep running into each other in Paris that’s about it 🤷

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** wow so boring okay  
so here's what happens  
omG YES BRAINSTORM okay yes

 **butler is boo:** 👀

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** so by the end of the evening they've literally gone through like, two bottles of wine  
they're on nickname basis (I mean like, not like they bothered to introduce their last names -- neither of them were thinking about that)  
and uh. the longer the evening has gone on . . .  
the more Will has noticed that Ben is, erm, pretty attractive

 **butler is boo:** **👏** **👏** **👏**

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** like, y'know -- nicely put together and all  
and his accent is _very_ nice  
and Will finds it like, really easy to talk to him. Like, really easy  
they're chatty and all that  
and Ben keeps leaning over the table and they're down to like just sharing one wine glass honestly, they've given up using two, they just trade off the one

 **butler is boo:** Ooooooo _yes_

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** but y'know, the restaurant's rather crowded now (since like, it's actual dinner time)  
and Ben's like "look, I know this place around the corner with more wine and some great desserts"  
so Will's like "yeah, alright," and they pay the bill (Ben insists on throwing in for some of Will's wine, since he helped drink it)  
(Will equally insists on no, Ben can just buy him a glass elsewhere)

 **butler is boo:** Ugh they are so alike 😭

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** and like. they _plan_ on going there, but uh

 **butler is boo:** 😳😏

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** they get out of the restaurant and just?? something happens, like?  
Will is laughing at something and Ben is just watching him avidly and then the next thing he knows, they're kissing _very_ passionately on the sidewalk outside this restaurant  
and it's _awesome_

 **butler is boo:** WOOOOO 

**Lt. Richards is bae:** "Could do without dessert now I'm thinking of it," Ben says breathlessly at the end of it, and Will's like  "yeah, alright"

 **butler is boo:**   
😂  


**Lt. Richards is bae:** (and Ben's got a room at the same hotel, how crazy is that?) (Will only half notes this because they're a little preoccupied trying to walk and kiss at the same time, it's weird how they can't keep their hands off each other)  
_[insert obligatory uninhibited one-night stand scenario]_  
Will wakes up first in the morning feeling _reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally nice_  
except for hOW LATE IT IS, FUCK  
he's supposed to be at the competition in half an hour, SHIT

 **butler is boo:** Oooooo

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** so he scrambles into his clothing and Ben hasn't woken up yet and Will doesn't want to wake him bc the conversation he really wants to have is like "tonight, same time?" but uh, he's not sure how Ben would take that and -- damnit, he's going to be _late_  
so he scribbles his email on the like hotel notepad and scrambles out the door to get some clean clothes and is in a taxi maybe seven minutes later or however he's getting to the competition  
and keeps cursing bc he'd love to spend the day staring at his phone to see if he's gotten an email and _what the fuck is wrong with him_ he's here for a wine competition, not a ~~n incredibly attractive man who makes him laugh a lot~~ hot piece of ass

 **butler is boo:** **👏** 😂  
Damn already have fallen hard huh Will?

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** so he gets there and he's going through the day and idek what the fuck is up with wine competitions but  
he's doing his best to schmooze with other winemakers and finding the whole thing fairly dull -- no one is that friendly, esp since his winery has like no rep  
a few people do eye him speculatively  
mention they tried his wines and some other things but like, you don't send your wines to this competition unless they're good so it's hard to tell

 **butler is boo:** Yep that’s basically how it’s happening to the chick  
Just a lot of wine tasting and shit

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** 😂  
so Will's there just like "god"  
"I was having way more fun last night"

 **butler is boo:** He feels so out of his depth

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** eh, it's more like?? he's like, he knows his wines are excellent  
but this feels more about who you know and less about, like, actual quality  
(becAUSE HERE'S THE MISUNDERSTANDING)  
not sure how it goes down, but there's some talk of like, one of the more-anticipated attendees not really showing  
like, last year's standout is late or something  
Will's trying some of that person's wine and is like "hmmm"

 **butler is boo:** 👆👆👆👆

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** "not bad . . . probably something Ben would like . . ."

 **butler is boo:** AWWWW 😂

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** wishes for the fifteenth time that he had a cell phone with service  
which his does, he just didn't want to pay for overseas data, and there's no wifi here  
so he's tasting this wine and frowning at it and frOM BEHIND  
he hears this _very_ familiar voice going "not quite to your taste, is it?"  
it's Ben -- he's not looking too happy . . .

 **butler is boo:** OOOOOO 😎✊

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** and Will's like _oh shit_  
like  
obviously Will's done _something_

 **butler is boo:** 🥺🥺🥺

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** he's . . . not entirely sure what, though

 **butler is boo:** (Oh I can guessssss)

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** and he's also like "wait, what are _you_ doing here?"  
and Ben just gives him this look, like he isn't sure whether Will is joking or not  
and he's like "well, I was supposed to be presenting my wine an hour ago"  
"but _someone_ rather . . . distracted me from setting an alarm, apparently"

 **butler is boo:** (OOOOO i see where his mind’s going! 👆👆👆

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** "and also didn't bother to WAKE ME UP when he _left_ "  
and Will's like 😳  
and then like "uhhh"  
and then is like "well, this is a mess"  
"sorry, I left my email on your notepad -- I woke up maybe half an hour before this thing started, I hadn't any idea you'd be here"

 **butler is boo:** (Omg 😂)  
(AN HONEST MISTAKE)

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** "I mean, if you'd mentioned that you were a winemaker I might've put the clues together"  
Ben's just like 😒 like _suuuuuuuuure_

 **butler is boo:** (Ooooo snap!)

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** and so Will is getting annoyed (and also a little disappointed because he'd had _such_ a nice time last night and now he's getting this sinking feeling it's ruined) so he's also like 😒 and is like "I mean, honestly? I had more fun in the restaurant last night! So yeah, this would've been loads more fun with you around"

 **butler is boo:** 🥺🥺🥺

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** and Ben's still just skeptical but at the last he gets the strangest expression of like, agreement  
but he hasn't thawed totally!  
and he nods to the wine that Will is holding and is like "well, how's that, then?"  
and Will's like "not really my taste" but then adds "thought it would be something you liked, though"

 **butler is boo:** (OOOOOO  )

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** and Ben has the _most peculiar_ expression but he's like "UGH fine, I suppose it was an honest mistake"  
and then he turns to the guy pouring the wine and is like "so how're we doing, Jack?"  
and Jack (Hallewell) is like "more interest here this year than last, so good, I reckon. Where the hell have you been?"  
and Will's like _oh shit this is Benjamin's wine_

 **butler is boo:** **👏** 😂 YESSSS

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** and Ben is like "right" and plucks the glass out of Will's hand and hands it to Jack and is like "get out the zin from two years ago and get this man a taste"  
and Jack's like 🙄  
but does it and Ben hands it to Will and is like "this is probably more to your taste" and so Will tries it and is like 😳  
"well, you're not wrong"  
and Ben 😏 and is now _definitely_ thawing much more

 **butler is boo:** 🙌🙌🙌🙌

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** and is casually like "so, left me your email address, eh?"  
and Will's regained his footing so he's like "well I mean, I didn't know how long you'd be around -- but yeah, I'd have liked to keep in touch"  
and Ben's clearly evaluating him but honestly, they weren't talking about being winemakers last night at all  
so it's . . . not because of the business  
and then he just gets the biggest smirk and is like "so last night was that nice, eh?"

 **butler is boo:** 😏😏😏😏

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** Will very seriously is like "well apart from _someone's_ slightly-questionable taste in wine, yeah"  
Ben's like "yeah I think that zin is shite. Not sure what kind of person you have to be to like it" and Will is like "I will spit this all over you, see if I don't" and ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

 **butler is boo:** 😂😂😂😂  
Omg

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** the rest of the competition is p nice! nothing goes horribly wrong  
Will presents his wine the next day and it has a not-terrible reception  
he drums up more interest from some parties and even gets some French guy who's v enthusiastic about maybe trading some grapes  
Ben drags him to a few of the wine-maker gatherings that are like, unofficial  
(and if they wind up in each other's bed again like, two or three more times over the week, well)  
(that's definitely one of the highlights)

 **butler is boo:** (Oooooooh definitely a _highlight_ **👏** 😂)

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** When Will gets back to California, Joe and Tom are surprised to see he's in an exceedingly cheerful mood  
they're like "how'd the competition go?"  
(oh, they did get a good rating, too, so there's that)  
(but Will already called them to tell them that)  
but they're just like 😶 when Will's like "oh it was lovely, I can't wait to go again next year"

 **butler is boo:** (😏😏😏😏😏)

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** he and Ben have exchanged ALL the contact information  
and they get in the habit of calling like, once a week  
and just bitching about the business

 **butler is boo:** (Oooooo so _sweet_ 😭)

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** and then Ben starts sending Will bottles of wine and demanding his opinion  
Will starts sending his own back  
they have once-a-month tastings of each other's wine  
they rag each other endlessly over their respective palates  
and anyway they do this for like a year or so  
meet up at the next competition and yeah, they have separate hotel rooms, buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut . . . that just means twice the beds to defile!  
(though this second competition they um)  
(get rather preoccupied with each other)  
(they've both been subtly pining over each other so honestly they run into each other in the lobby that first night and end up ordering room service because they're too busy to leave it)  
(ooo or this time Joe comes along bc why not? and he and Will are supposed to be sharing a room but then Joe just gets ditched like half the time bc Will is spending it all in Ben's room)  
(or even even better Will tries to be a good friend/partner and is trying to get Joe included but then Joe finds them snogging in the restaurant bathroom and is like "yeah okay I'll just get the bill then")

 **butler is boo:** _Yes_ 😂  
Poor Joe 😂😂😂

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** poor Joe u.u  
but it's okay, he has a blast anyway  
anyway, Ben and Will do a few more years of this long-distance pining shit but it's getting increasingly less satisfying and so what happens is  
they -- don't _quite_ talk marriage  
but um  
they do agree to trade off living in California and the UK 😏

 **butler is boo:** OOOOOO  
And maybe a partnership?

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** hmmmmm maybe! unofficial, like  
their businesses are still separate  
but they're good at directing people to each other's wines and trade contacts all the time and so on  
at the French competitions, it gradually becomes an open secret that they're like, basically partners even if they're competing wineries  
and there isn't really any plot to this! this movie was basically about them having a really great first night and watching them have a great time all evening and get more and more attracted to each other and then resolving the conflict at the competition  
and since they're like, adults  
it's not a protracted "I am assuming everything about you and hate you and it will take all week to keep running into each other and seeing each other do things we don't expect that gradually forces us to revise our second impressions"

 **butler is boo:** Yeah that’s basically a bullshit storyline hallmark follows to a T like 🙄  
It’s good that Ben and will just, resolved their shit in like, 3 minutes!  
BUT THAT WAS A NICE ONE

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** (well Ben still has his doubts)

 **butler is boo:** **👏** **👏** **👏** **👏** **👏** **👏**

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** (and Will is like "wow kind of an arse")  
(but spending the day together ragging the competition brings them together)

 **butler is boo:** 😂😂😂

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** (and the fantastic sex that night MORE than makes up for it)

 **butler is boo:** (Well fuck yeah it does! 🙌🙌🙌🙌)

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** (cuz they're both still feeling a _tiny_ bit wary so it's much more "who can get whom to come first and hardest" sort of thing)  
(Ben's like pushing Will up against the wall saying " _someone_ still owes me an apology" and Will's like "already apologized, dick" and Ben's like "no, I mean properly" and Will gives him this _look_ and manages to spin them 'round so it's _Ben_ against the wall and then just drops to his knees and looks up all faux-demure and proceeds to give Ben the best blowjob of his _life_ )

 **butler is boo:** _oh this got dirty so quick and I LOVE IT_

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** (Ben's just gasping against the wall and he tries to warn Will but Will just very firmly goes down on him _even further_ and Ben is very, very glad there's a wall behind him or he would absolutely have collapsed)

 **butler is boo:** **👏** **👏** **👏** **👏**

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** (and then Will pulls back thoughtfully after fucking _swallowing it_ and is like "hmmm, a solid 87 points -- I'd definitely have that over your cab" and Ben is simultaneously so outraged and so flattered he just sputters)

 **butler is boo:** OMFG 😂😂😂😂  
Will is a _little shit_

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** and Ben fucking loves it  
(Ben tries to do similar things sometimes but Will just gets all sappy and adoring post-orgasm that he'll just agree with anything Ben says and it's so endearing Ben doesn't bother)  
(also, Will just looks so -- well, Ben will freely admit that's basically at the top of his wank fantasies, watching Will blow him)

 **butler is boo:** _fans self_  
Oh sweet Jesus yes!!!

**Author's Note:**

> _hecking ADORE seeing these two as best snarky lovers, sorry not sorry ~E_
> 
> FUN FACTS: [THE JUDGEMENT OF PARIS IS HOW CALIFORNIAN WINES GOT THEIR REPUTATION](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judgment_of_Paris_\(wine\)) ~~ok gotta calm my nerdy bosoms~~


End file.
